Former head coach Ravi Shastri believes having the right blend of youth and experience has been a key factor behind India’s dominance in the ICC Men’s Team Rankings.
Earlier this month, India pipped Australia to achieve the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test team rankings. The Men in Blue also occupy the numero uno position in the ICC T20I team rankings.
"It's a tribute to their consistency, their fitness and the way they've worked over the last five or six years to now be hungry and proud of wanting to belong there," Shastri said on the latest episode of The ICC Review.
"It's the quality of players. If you look at these players, a lot of these players are at their prime when you look at the Indian Test side. They're experienced, they're at that age where they're battle-hardened, they've travelled around the world. They know what Test cricket is all about, they know what one-day cricket is all about, they know what T20 cricket is all about.
"And the mix is with experienced players and youth. There's youth filtering in, especially in the white-ball formats of the game. But as a nucleus in Test match cricket, there's tons of experience. So that's what makes the difference.
"When you have that, you'll see sides that make it to the top two-three as history will tell you, they remain there for three-four years," he explained.
During Shastri’s stint, Team India performed exceptionally well in the longest format. Winning a couple of Test series in Australia was the highlight of his tenure.
Shastri said he kept a close eye on the ICC rankings while being at the helm of affairs and was proud of the fact he helped India rise to the top of the Test charts.
"It mattered a lot to me," Shastri revealed. "To be in that top two or three was extremely important and you looked at the rankings and if you knew you were four or five, then that upsets you because your team deserves to be in the top two or three, or that's what you strive or play for.”
"Every coach, no matter who he is, wants his team to be in that top two or three...it was my endeavour when I took over as coach of India...to bring it into that top two or three.
"It was a desire to get it into the ICC rankings, into the top two or three. And as a coach, I'm proud that my team was number one for five years on the ICC rankings. No one can take that away. It's important and coaches do keep a fair track of that."
India are due to face Australia in the World Test Championship final at The Oval from June 7 to 11, and Shastri believes the team that adjusts better to the conditions will come out as winners.
"I think when it comes to a one-off final, I think it's about how good you are over those five days," Shastri remarked.
"How well you start off is extremely important as you don't want to be in a one-off match and be blown over during the first day and a half. Either get hammered in the field or you get an opportunity to bat and you're bowled out by tea time or bowled out on day one. You don't want that to happen.
"But if you get into the contest, where you have a good first day, then there's nothing — I mean all this one and two and three (in rankings) won't count at all. It'll be day by day session by session that will matter."
(With ICC Inputs)
